| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
MANILA: Philippine authorities said Friday they were preparing for the worst as a typhoon was set to hit the nation's capital and nearby areas still reeling from storms that claimed more than 1,100 lives.
Typhoon Mirinae, packing gusts of up to 185 kilometres an hour and carrying vast amounts of rain, was forecast to hit the eastern edge of the main island of Luzon on Friday night, then quickly move west and over Manila.
More than a million people are still living in flooded areas of Manila after Tropical Storm Ketsana dumped record rain on the city on September 26, and authorities said they were concerned Mirinae would exacerbate the problems.
"Considering our land is already saturated with water, it may cause flooding in some areas. It is hard to tell if there will be floods but we are preparing for the worst," said civil defence office spokesman Ernesto Torres.
Manila's 12 million residents and other areas in Mirinae's forecast path have been warned to prepare enough emergency provisions for 72 hours, said Torres.
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo had also ordered evacuation of areas that might be hit by landslides and flashfloods.
However, Torres said that no evacuations had yet been ordered for Manila.
Other parts of Luzon in Mirinae's path are struggling from yet another storm that battered the island a week after Ketsana.
Typhoon Parma struck northern Luzon on October 3, then caused massive flooding and landslides as it hovered over the region for about 10 days, claiming 465 lives.
With the death toll from Ketsana and ensuing disease outbreaks standing at 673, the back-to-back storms killed more than 1,100 people.
Mirinae's approach also threw into chaos plans by millions of Filipinos to head back to their hometowns for a long-weekend holiday that is a time for family reunions.
Sunday is All-Saints' Day, when millions of people in this largely Roman Catholic nation traditionally visit the graves of their relatives.
Ferry services, a cheap and popular form of travel in the Southeast Asian archipelago, were cancelled in parts of Luzon and authorities warned people against travelling on Friday night and Saturday.
The military was also sent to vulnerable areas, along with relief goods, to respond quickly in case of floods, landslides or other disasters.
- AFP/ir
|
